North Carolina Egg Facts

Whether you’re dyeing them for Easter or enjoying them scrambled, deviled or fried, eggs are a springtime staple. Eggs are so popular, in fact, that the average American consumes 290 of them per year. Check out a few more fun facts about the incredible, edible egg:

1. North Carolina is home to more than 14 million laying hens.

2. North Carolina ranks No. 8 in the U.S. for egg production.

3. The yolk contains almost half an egg’s protein and a high proportion of its vitamins.

4. Eggs contain choline and lutein, two important nutrients for brain health.

See more: Vivian Howard’s Sloppy Joe Shirred Eggs with Spinach

Egg recipes

5. A chef’s hat traditionally has one pleat for each of the many ways you can cook eggs.

6. Eggshell color has no relation to egg quality, nutrition or flavor. It varies according to the breed of the hen producing it.

N.C. Egg Study

7. Hens in the United States produce up to 75 billion eggs per year.

See more: Recipes Using the Golden Egg

8. It takes about 24 to 26 hours for a hen to produce one egg.

Herbed Deviled Eggs
Herbed Deviled Eggs

9. A large egg is one of the least expensive sources of high-quality protein.

Sources: North Carolina Egg Association, American Egg Board, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), United Egg Producers

Comments

  • Joyce

    Why is there a white substance in the egg. Is it healthy to eat which I always do

  • Ann Jasper

    The white string is actually a protein spring made of the egg white. It’s there biologically to hold the yolk in the center. Since it is part of the egg white, it is perfectly safe to eat. After it’s cooked, it’s all white anyway.
    From the best egg man’s wife.

Comments are closed.

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North Carolina Field & Family Spring 2026
Flip through the pages of the Spring 2026 edition of North Carolina Field and Family magazine. In this issue, impress your guests with creative yet easy spring holiday recipes, learn how farmers face challenges planning the future of their farmland, meet some North Carolina beef producers raising the steaks, start your engines with eight reasons to visit Richmond County, get crabby with Sheri Castle’s Deviled Crab recipe and much more.

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